Sector Sustainability Project Knowledge Hub
The Sector Sustainability Program Knowledge Hub (the Knowledge Hub) provides you with access to final reports, workshop slides and presentations, policy advice, tools for costing human services and understanding data, and documents relating to improving contracting and relationship management, procurement, grant making and indexation.
The Knowledge Hub is proudly brought to you by Capital Region Community Services and ACTCOSS.
What is the Sector Sustainability Program?
The Sector Sustainability Program 2023-2028 (SSP) was announced by the ACT Government in February 2023 as a response to the Counting the Costs Report which was commissioned by ACTCOSS on behalf of the Community Services Industry Strategy Steering Group (ISSG), and the ACT Government.
You can read the ACT Government’s response to the Counting the Costs Report which outlines the rising demand and rising costs across the community sector but noted that a simple increase in funding alone would not result in a more sustainable sector.
The 2023-2024 SSP Start Up Project is the first phase of the SSP and will contribute to the development of a future agenda for sector sustainability in 2025-2028. The Knowledge Hub is a snapshot of the SSP Start Up Project in 2024.
2024 Sector Sustainability Start Up Project Final Report
The Knowledge Hub
Final Report December 2024
Report outlining key achievements, implementation challenges, lessons learned, recommended focus areas for 2025-2028 and project outputs.
Evaluation Reports
2023-2024 Project Evaluation Poll Results August 2023
Summary of online poll in August 2023 to assess engagement in project
November 2023 Workshop Slides
Slide deck for stakeholder workshop to confirm Project Logic, define scope of monitoring and evaluation and agree methods for data collection
Evaluation Plan for 2023-2024 Sector Sustainability Project (SSP)
Background, rationale and framework for evaluation of Sector Sustainability Program activities in 2023-2024
2023-2024 Project Evaluation Poll Results December 2023
Summary of online poll in December 2023 to assess engagement in project
February 2024 Presentation to SSP Governance Committee on Evaluation findings
Summary analysis of feedback from stakeholders on project activities July-December 2023 and proposed approach to next phase of Evaluation
May 2024 Interim Evaluation Report
Briefing on the progress of SSP activities and barriers to success of the project in the short, medium and longer term
November 2024 Evaluation Report
Report to SSP Governance Committee on evaluation findings and recommendations for SSP activities in 2025-2028.
Tools and Resources to support fully costing services
April 2024 Background Briefing Paper on Fully Costing Services
Briefing Paper for stakeholder workshop on development of a consistent approach to understanding direct and indirect costs of service delivery.
May 2024 Listening Report 2 – Tools and Resources to Fully Cost Human Services
Report of stakeholder feedback and recommended next steps to improve fully costing services, defining value for money and sharing of risks.
August 2024 Briefing on Fully Costing Sustainable Service Delivery
Briefing from SSP Community-Based Co-Lead on aligning ACT Government procurement procedures with evidence base regarding fully costing services.
Improving Contracting & Relationship Management
April 2024 Background Briefing Paper on Categorising Costs of Human Services
Briefing Paper for stakeholder workshop on development of a consistent approach to categorising direct and indirect costs of service delivery.
May 2024 Listening Report 3 – Funding Efficiencies
Report of stakeholder feedback and recommended next steps to implement measures to improve efficiencies in funding arrangements.
October 2024 Briefing on Identifying and Managing Shared Risks in Funding Partnerships
Evidence base and template for funding providers and services providers to jointly identify and agree shared management of risks in service delivery.
October 2024 Compendium of Frameworks for sustainable ACT Government and NGO relationship
A summary of the publicly released ACT Government legislative, regulatory and policy objectives that support a sustainable relationship between ACT Government and NGOs delivering human services.
Improving Procurement and Grant-Making
August 2023 Standardised questions for procurement activities
A template outlining standard questions for Mandatory, Weighted and Non-Weighted criteria in procurement of human services by ACT Government
October 2023 Briefing on Streamlining procurement of human services provided by non-government organisations
A summary of the history, current drivers and potential way forward on streamlining of ACT Government procurement of human services.
September 2024 Briefing on Defining and Assessing Value for Money in Human Services Procurements
Briefing from SSP Community-Based Co-Lead on aligning ACT Government Procurement Guidelines (July 2024) with evidence base regarding value for money in human services.
November 2024 Compendium of ACT Government Legislation, Regulation, Policies and Guidelines relevant to funding NGOs
A resource for ACT Government and Non-Government stakeholders to provide consistent and transparent information.
Improving Indexation
2019 ACTCOSS Briefing on Cumulative Gap in ACT Government Indexation
Summary analysis of gaps between wage cost increases for NGO delivered human services and the ACT Government Community Services Indexation rate 2012-2019.
2022 Tasmania Council of Social Service Report – Cost Indexation for Tasmanian Government purchasing of community services
Report on data collected and findings the appropriateness of current indexation amounts and prospective models for future calculations.
2023 Queensland Council of Social Service Report – Queensland Cost Indexation for Government Purchasing of Human Services
A report on information and findings related to the indexation arrangements established in funding social services in Queensland.
Policy Advice
There are three resources available for Sector Sustainability policy advice:
- The Human Services Value Curve – a framework to understand the opportunities, challenges and capabilities needed to deliver the ACT Government Human Services Reform Agenda
- What is the current Investment Paradigm and could/should we adopt an Impact Investing Approach?
- Key Messages from the Developing a National Not-for-Profit Sector Development Blueprint
Presentations
Past presentations from the Sector Sustainability Project can be accessed here.
Important: ACTCOSS does not take any responsibility for the accuracy of the content contained in the documents accessible in the Knowledge Hub, unless authored by ACTCOSS. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the author of the individual document.